BSC's Four-Year Graduation Guarantee

Birmingham-Southern College takes great pride in the strength of its academic advising program and the careful planning of annual course offerings. We have always expected that students would be able to graduate from the college within four years, but now we are pleased to formalize that expectancy with a four-year graduation guarantee for students who follow these basic guidelines:

1. Spend four consecutive years at BSC. (BSC encourages all students to explore opportunities for study abroad, but it is important to note that not all study abroad opportunities provide the diversity of coursework necessary for this guarantee to remain in force. Students considering study abroad must consult with the provost’s office to determine if the four-year graduation guarantee will continue to apply.)

2. Meet with your assigned academic advisor at least once each semester and follow the advisor’s recommendations.

3. Pursue a single major and declare that major according to the timetable listed below. (Please note that it is possible to complete many of these majors on a shorter timetable; however, we cannot guarantee completion in four years unless students declare the majors by the term listed.) Do not change your declared major.

   • Graduation guaranteed if the major is declared at the beginning of the first year: Art (all studio art majors), Biology-Psychology, Chemistry, Dance, Education, Music (all majors and degree programs), Music Education, Musical Theatre

   • Graduation guaranteed if the major is declared by the end of the first year: Accounting, Art History, Biology, Business Administration, Computer Science-Mathematics, Economics, English, English-Theatre Arts, History, International Studies, Mathematics, Philosophy, Philosophy-Politics-Economics, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Religion, Religion-Education, Religion-Philosophy, Sociology, Sociology-Political Science, Sociology-Psychology

   • Graduation guaranteed if the major is declared by the end of the second year: Computer Science, Modern Foreign Languages (French, German, Spanish), Theatre Arts

4. Complete at least four course credits in each regular term and one course credit in each interim. Pass all courses attempted with a grade of C- or better and maintain a grade point average of at least 2.0, both cumulative and in the major

5. Fulfill, at a minimum, all graduation requirements as outlined in the college Catalog of record

6. Comply with all college standards, regulations, and procedures, from the date of matriculation through the date of final graduation

7. Register each term at the first time made available to you by the records office

8. Be willing to take courses at any regularly scheduled class times, acknowledging that these may not always be your first choice of courses or class times.

We guarantee that students who follow these guidelines will be able to graduate from BSC in four years. If our failure to offer the courses required for your major or errors in academic advising cause you to need an additional course or courses in the fifth year, the college will pay the tuition plus any course fees for those required courses. We want to emphasize that many students who declare a major later than the guidelines specified above, as well as students who change majors (even more than once), will often still be able to graduate from Birmingham-Southern College within four years. These guidelines apply to the guarantee only and not to any specific graduation requirements.